AU2018226415A1 - Overhead door integrated bracket - Google Patents

Abstract

C:\Interwovn\NRPortbl\DCC\KMIIl\7607839 I.docx-27082018 Abstract Disclosed is an overhead sectional door that includes a plurality of door panels and two guides on opposite sides of the door panels. Each of the guides includes two straight sections connected by a curved section. One straight section of each guide is configured to be attached to a wall and extend vertically towards the curved section so that the other straight section extends away from the wall. The door also includes an axle and a biasing means that together are configured to urge the door panels in an upward direction to oppose the weight of the door panels and thereby assist opening of the door. The door also includes at each side thereof a wall bracket, configured to attach to the wall and to the guide, and a support bracket, configured to attach to the straight section of the guide that extends away from the wall and to attach to the wall bracket and/or the wall. One of the wall bracket or the support bracket includes a bearing mounted therein that is configured to receive an end ofthe axle. C%4 Cl, CNl C'4 0)0 Ct) LO r CN cf) C14 C) r-

Description

OVERHEAD DOOR INTEGRATED BRACKET

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention generally relates to overhead doors, including but not limited to overhead sectional doors and methods of installing such doors.

RELATED APPLICATIONS [0002] Priority is claimed from Australian provisional patent application no. 2017904099 and Australian provisional patent application no. 2017904661. The contents of each of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND [0003] Overhead doors such as sectional doors and rolling doors are commonly used in residential and industrial settings for conveniently opening and closing large spaces in walls. These types of doors allow these large spaces to be covered or opened without requiring large amounts of space on either side of the opening for a door to swing open, as would be required for a typical style door on hinges, for example.

[0004] A traditional overhead sectional door includes one or more door panels which are attached to a wall on either side by guides or tracks. These guides or tracks extend along the wall on either side of the opening, then curve to also extend outwardly along or parallel to an adjacent ceiling.

[0005] To counterbalance the weight of the door and allow it to be easily opened and closed, an axle is mounted to the wall extending across the width of the wall opening above the opening. This axle includes a spring and is attached to the door to urge the door upwards, thereby reducing the force required to open the door.

[0006] This axle is mounted to the wall at each end by its own bracket, thereby allowing the guides to be mounted to the wall separately to the axle. This is considered necessary to assist with installation, as the guides can be installed as a separate step to the installation of the axle.

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-2[0007] Installation of overhead doors is a relatively labour intensive task, due to the large size and requirements to adjust the door to function correctly on an often misaligned opening. Therefore, installation of an overhead door forms a significant portion of the cost of a new door and any way of simplifying installation would be considered advantageous.

[0008] The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or admission or any form of suggestion that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

SUMMARY [0009] According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an overhead sectional door, including a plurality of door panels and two guides on opposite sides of the door panels, each guide including two straight sections connected by a curved section, wherein one straight section of each guide is configured to be attached to a wall and extend vertically towards the curved section so that the other straight section extends away from the wall, the overhead sectional door further including an axle and a biasing means, together being configured to urge the door panels in an upward direction to oppose the weight of the door panels and thereby assist opening of the door, the overhead sectional door further including at each side thereof: a wall bracket, configured to attach to the wall and to the guide; and a support bracket, configured to attach to the straight section of the guide that extends away from the wall and to attach to the wall bracket and/or the wall, wherein one of the wall bracket or the support bracket includes a bearing mounted therein that is configured to receive an end of the axle.

[0010] In one form, the bearing is mounted in the support bracket, while in another form, the bearing is mounted in the wall bracket.

[0011] In one form, the bracket includes a bearing that is mounted in a hole in the bracket that is burst, while in another form, the bracket includes a bearing that is mounted

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-3 in a hole in the bracket that is cut. In yet another form, the bracket is configured to also be connected to the curved section of the guide.

[0012] According to another example aspect, there is provided a method of installing an overhead sectional door, the overhead sectional door being substantially as herein defined, the method including the steps of: mounting the guides to the wall using the wall bracket and the axle bracket; and thereafter, installing the axle in the axle brackets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES [0013] Example embodiments should become apparent from the following description, which is given by way of example only, of at least one preferred but nonlimiting embodiment, described in connection with the accompanying figures, wherein:

[0014] Figure 1A illustrates an isometric view of an overhead sectional door according an embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure IB illustrates an isometric view of the overhead sectional door of Figure 1A with the centre track removed;

[0016] Figure 2 illustrates a front view of the overhead sectional door of Figure 1A;

[0017] Figure 3 illustrates a side view of the overhead sectional door of Figure 1A;

[0018] Figure 4 illustrates an enlarged portion of Figure 3 as designated by Detail A;

[0019] Figure 5 illustrates an isometric view of the inside of a bracket from Figure 1A;

[0020] Figure 6 illustrates an isometric view of the outside of a bracket from Figure

1A;

[0021] Figure 7 illustrates a side view of a bracket from Figure 1 A;

[0022] Figure 8 illustrates a side view of the inside of a bracket from Figure 1A with a bearing fitted therein;

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-4[0023] Figure 9 illustrates a side view of the outside of a bracket from Figure 1A with a bearing fitted therein;

[0024] Figure 10 illustrates a front view of a left side bracket from Figure 1A with a bearing fitted therein;

[0025] Figure 11 illustrates a front view of a right side bracket from Figure 1A with a bearing fitted therein;

[0026] Figure 12 illustrates a perspective view of a left side bracket from Figure 1A with a bearing fitted therein;

[0027] Figure 13 illustrates a perspective view of a right side bracket from Figure 1A with a bearing fitted therein;

[0028] Figure 14 (prior art) illustrates a known overhead sectional door;

[0029] Figure 15 illustrates an isometric view of an overhead sectional door according an alternative embodiment of the present invention; and [0030] Figure 16 illustrates an isometric view of a variation on the overhead sectional door from Figure 15.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0031] The following modes, given by way of example only, are described in order to provide a more precise understanding of the subject matter of a preferred embodiment or embodiments.

[0032] In the Figures, incorporated to illustrate features of an example embodiment, like reference numerals are used to identify like parts throughout the Figures.

[0033] Referring to Figures 1A, IB and 2, an overhead sectional door 10 is shown that is mounted to a wall 12 to open or close an opening 13 in the wall 12. The door 10 includes a plurality of door panels 14 and two guides 15 on opposite sides of the door panels 14.

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-5 The door panels 14 include guide wheels that couple the door panels 14 to the guides 15 and allow the door panels 14 to move along the guides 15.

[0034] Each guide 15 includes two straight sections. One straight section 17 is configured to be attached to the wall 12 and extend vertically along the wall 12. The other straight section 18 is configured to extend away from the wall 12. The straight sections 17, 18 are connected by a curved section 19.

[0035] The overhead sectional door 10 further includes an axle 22 supported at each end by a bearing 24 fitted in a support bracket 25. Immediately inside each of the brackets 25 attached to the axle 22 are cable drums 26, with cables being attached to the drums 26 and extending downwardly where they are attached to the lowermost door panel 14.

[0036] A biasing means, which in the present embodiment takes the form of a torsion spring 28, is connected between the axle 22 by an anchor 29 at a first end and the wall 12 via an anchor bracket 31 at a second end. It will be appreciated, however, that other suitable biasing means could also be used as would be understood by a person skilled in the art.

[0037] Opening and closing of the door 10 is controlled by an electric motor 32 positioned at the end of a track 34 that extends outwardly from the anchor bracket 31. A cable, chain or other connection extends along the track 34 between the electric motor 32 and an upper door panel 14. The final connection between the track 34 and the door panel 14 is achieved using an arm 35.

[0038] Once again, it will be appreciated that alternative embodiments may use other means for moving the door 10 between the open and closed positions. In particular, a device as described above may not be required at all, with the door simply being moved by a person lifting or pulling one or more of the door panels 14 or a handle connected thereto.

[0039] The biasing means and other components described above are together configured to urge the door panels 14 in an upward direction to oppose the weight of the door panels 14 and thereby assist opening of the door 10. That is, the torsion spring 28 acts

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-βίο rotate the axle 22 in a direction that causes the cable drum 26 to place the cable in tension.

[0040] The tension in the cable between the cable drum 26 and the door panel 14 acts to urge the door panel 14 in an upward direction. As the door panels 14 are raised, the axle 22 rotates and the cable is wound onto the cable drum 26. Preferably, the torsion spring 28 is configured so that as the door panels 14 are raised, the force exerted by the cable on the door panels 14 reduces. This is advantageous as some of the door panels 14 will be supported by the horizontal sections 18 of the guides and therefore less force is required from the cables to support the weight of the remaining door panels 14.

[0041] At each side of the door 10 is a wall bracket 30 that attaches to the wall 12 and to the guide 15. The mounting points of the bracket 30 are slots through which fasteners are inserted. Using slots rather than regular holes allows the position of the bracket 30 to be adjusted small amounts as necessary during installation, both in a lateral direction as well as adjusting the guide 15 in a direction substantially normal to the wall 12.

[0042] The support brackets 25 attach to corresponding wall brackets 30 and to the straight section 18 of the guide that extends away from the wall 12. That is, the support brackets 25 connect the horizontal straight section 18 of the guide to the wall via the wall bracket 30. In alternative embodiments, however, the support brackets 25 may connect directly to the wall 12.

[0043] The mounting points of the support brackets 25 are also slots, allowing the position of the bracket 25 to be adjusted small amounts as necessary during installation, both in a vertical direction relative to the guide 15 and in a direction substantially normal to the wall 12. The slots in the wall bracket 30 allow the support bracket 25 to be adjusted vertically relative to the wall bracket 30.

[0044] Figures 3 and 4 further illustrate the adjustability of the wall bracket 30 and the support bracket 25. These figures also illustrate that the cable drums 26 are positioned quite low, which is made possible due to the integration of the bearings 24, the mounting points of the axle 22, into the support bracket 25.

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-7[0045] In prior art doors, such as that shown in Figure 14, a separate bracket would have been required for supporting the axle 22. This results in the axle 22 being positioned higher relative to the other components, particularly the horizontal straight section 18 of the guide 15. This may have resulted in installation issues in some situations, due to additional headroom potentially being required for the door 10.

[0046] Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the support bracket 25 with the bearing 24 fitted, as do Figures 8 to 13. The bearing 24 is fitted into a hole 36, as shown in Figure 7. This hole 36 may be burst, formed by laser cutting, or formed in any other suitable manner as would be understood by a person skilled in the art.

[0047] A burst hole 36 may be advantageous due to lower manufacturing costs, however has the disadvantage of tolerances being higher. The lower quality edges, however, may assist to retain the bearing 24 in the hole. In contrast, laser cutting is much more accurate, but correspondingly more expensive. The preferred embodiment of the invention uses holes 36 that are laser cut, however it is anticipated that this may be changed to burst holes 36 in the future.

[0048] Referring to Figure 15, an alternative embodiment of the invention is shown. This alternative embodiment includes all of the same door components as described previously, including the door panels 14 coupled with guides 15 that include vertical sections 17, curved sections 19 and horizontal sections 18. The same axle 22, cable drums 26 and torsion spring 28 are also used.

[0049] This alternative embodiment, however, has a wall bracket 40 that attaches to the wall 12 and to the vertical section 17 of the guide, where the axle 22 and bearing 24 are mounted in the wall bracket 40. A support bracket 45 connects the horizontal section 18 of the guide to the wall bracket 40.

[0050] In still further optional variations not shown in the Figures, the support bracket 45 may also extend above or below the axle 22. This may simply provide better support for the horizontal section 18 of the guide by improving the connection to the wall bracket 40,

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-8or the support bracket 45 may extend further and include a flange so as to also connect to the wall 12.

[0051] Referring to Figure 16, the wall bracket 40 is configured to be installed in a lower position if desired. The wall bracket 40 is the same component, however different mounting holes are used for connecting to the support bracket 45 and to the vertical section 17 of the guide. The end result is that the bearing 24 and axle 22 are installed in lower position. In the alternative described above where the support bracket 45 extends above or below the axle 22, the same components may be used wherein the support bracket 45 extends above the axle 22 in one installation configuration and below the axle 22 in the other installation configuration.

[0052] When installing the overhead sectional door 10 according to any of the embodiments described above, the guides 15 are first secured to the wall 12 and an adjacent ceiling. Each guide 15 can be installed separately due to the axle 22 not having been installed yet and therefore the two guides 15 are not yet connected to one another.

[0053] In prior art doors, such as that shown in Figure 14, an axle assembled with bearings and brackets could then be moved into position and the brackets connected to the previously installed guides. Connecting the brackets for the axle prior to installing the guides would not be considered practical, due to the two guides then being connected to one another and thereby requiring them to be installed simultaneously. This would be very awkward for the installers and would likely require extra installation personnel to support the components while they are fixed in place.

[0054] In the various embodiments described above, the guides 15 are still installed first, with the axle 22 not in place, so that each guide 15 can be installed individually. Once the guides 15 are fixed in place, despite the support brackets 25 or wall brackets 40 already also being in position, it has surprisingly been found that the axle 22 can still be installed with relatively few problems.

[0055] Despite the bearings 24 already being fixed in place, there is sufficient flexibility provided in the axle 22 that permits the axle 22 to be installed by inserting one

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-9end into the appropriate bearing 24, followed by then inserting the other end into the other bearing 24. The door panels 14 can then be installed as normal, along with the cables and any other associated components.

[0056] The preferred embodiment uses the same axle 22 and torsion spring 28 as is used in prior art doors. Despite this, in prior art doors the bearings and brackets were always connected to the axle before installing the axle, as it was never appreciated that it would be possible to connect the axle to the brackets if the brackets were already installed.

[0057] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that different axles 22, or other related components, may be used to further improve the ease of installation of the door 10 and particularly the installation of the axle 22 to the support brackets 25 or wall brackets 40 when they are already fixed in place. Examples of such alternative axle 22 designs may include axles of different diameter, axles of increased flexibility and/or axles that can separate into multiple components.

[0058] The use of the bearing 24 integrated into the support bracket 25 or the wall bracket 40 allows the use of fewer components for the door 10. More importantly, however, the integrated support bracket 25 or integrated wall bracket 40 actually simplifies installation of the door 10. Installation costs comprise a significant portion of the overall cost of an overhead sectional door, making this a significant improvement.

[0059] All of the embodiments described above allow the overhead sectional door 10 to be installed in a manner that reduces the required headroom above the wall opening 13. This reduction may be limited by the space required for the cable drums 26, however. Therefore, it is envisaged that in such situations the cable drums 26 could be mounted in a different location, such as inboard of the door opening 13, near the end of the horizontal section 18 of the guide, for example.

[0060] With the cable drums 26 mounted away from the wall opening 13, the cable could then pass via a sheath mounted where the cable drums 26 are mounted in the embodiments described herein. This sheaf could be made much smaller than the cable drums 26, further reducing the headroom required at the door opening 13 and enabling the

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-10advantageous aspect of reduced headroom for the present invention to be utilised to a greater extent.

[0061] In the foregoing description of preferred embodiments, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar technical purpose. Terms such as front and rear, inner and outer, above and below and the like are used as words of convenience to provide reference points and are not to be construed as limiting terms.

[0062] Whilst the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it will be understood that many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. All such variations and modifications should be considered to fall within the scope of the invention as broadly described and as claimed below.

[0063] Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word comprise, and variations such as comprises or comprising, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

Claims (6)

1. The claims defining the invention are as follows:

   1. An overhead sectional door, comprising a plurality of door panels and two guides on opposite sides of the door panels, each guide comprising two straight sections connected by a curved section, wherein one straight section of each guide is configured to be attached to a wall and extend vertically towards the curved section so that the other straight section extends away from the wall, the overhead sectional door further comprising an axle and a biasing means, together being configured to urge the door panels in an upward direction to oppose the weight of the door panels and thereby assist opening of the door, the overhead sectional door further comprising at each side thereof:

   a wall bracket, configured to attach to the wall and to the guide; and a support bracket, configured to attach to the straight section of the guide that extends away from the wall and to attach to the wall bracket and/or the wall, wherein one of the wall bracket or the support bracket comprises a bearing mounted therein that is configured to receive an end of the axle.
2. 2. The overhead sectional door according to claim 1, wherein the bearing is mounted in the support bracket.
3. 3. The overhead sectional door according to claim 1, wherein the bearing is mounted in the wall bracket.
4. 4. The overhead sectional door according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bearing is mounted in a hole that is burst.
5. 5. The overhead sectional door according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bearing is mounted in a hole that is cut.
6. 6. The overhead sectional door according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the brackets is configured to also be connected to the curved section of the guide.

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   - 127. A method of installing an overhead sectional door, the overhead sectional door being defined in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising the steps of:

   mounting the guides to the wall using the wall bracket and the support bracket; and thereafter, installing the axle in the brackets.